After IndiGo Meltdown, Airfares Explode: Delhi-Chennai Rs 65,985, Delhi-Mumbai Rs 38,676

Passengers already reeling from IndiGo’s unprecedented wave of cancellations are now facing a fresh blow—one-way airfares on key domestic routes have surged to eye-watering levels, making last-minute travel from the capital almost impossible for many.

On Friday, as more than 700 IndiGo flights were cancelled across major hubs, flight aggregators showed fares that stunned travellers. A New Delhi–Chennai one-way ticket shot up to ₹65,985, while the New Delhi–Mumbai route, one of India’s busiest, climbed to Rs 38,676 for a single journey. Even the Delhi–Kolkata route crossed Rs 38,699, with only a handful of seats left.

The sudden fare spike comes at a time when thousands of passengers are scrambling for alternatives after IndiGo halted all its domestic

departures from Delhi and Chennai till midnight. With the country’s largest airline operating at a fraction of its capacity, demand has spilt over to other carriers, and the fares show it.

Travel platforms displayed shocking last-minute prices across December 5 and 6, with some multi-stop options to Chennai priced above ₹71,000. Passengers complained on social media that they were being “punished twice”, first by cancellations, then by unaffordable fares, as trains too remain totally booked.

The Civil Aviation Minister has already directed DGCA to closely monitor airfares to ensure airlines do not take advantage of the crisis. But as passengers on the ground discovered today, the gap between regulation and reality remains painfully wide.

Airlines have not yet issued a statement on the high fares, even as stranded travellers continue searching for any available seat — at any price.